3.6 Operating on files

The
File menu allows you to perform operations on files stored on disk. It is only available for tools which need to interact with the files you have stored on disk, such as the Listener and Editor.

The default commands available in the
File
menu are described below. Note that in some tools, the
File
menu contains additional commands specific to that tool. Please refer to the relevant chapters for each tool for a description of these additional commands.

Choose
File > New to open a new buffer in the built-in Editor. If an Editor window has not yet been created, this command also creates one. The new buffer is unnamed. Alternatively, you can click the
button in the toolbar. This toolbar button is available on appropriate tools, and in the podium as shown in The podium.

Choose
File > Open to open an existing file in a new editor buffer. Where appropriate, a dialog appears, allowing you to choose a filename. If an editor window has not yet been created, this command creates one. Alternatively, you can click the
button in the toolbar. This toolbar button is available on appropriate tools, and in the LispWorks podium, shown in The podium.

Choose
File > Load to load a file of Lisp source code or a fasl (binary) file. Choose
File > Compile to compile a file of Lisp source code. Choose
File > Compile and Load compile a source file
and
load the resulting fasl file. When appropriate, each command displays a dialog, allowing you to choose the file you want to load or compile.

Choose
File > Print to print a file. A dialog allows you to choose a file to print. The current printer can be changed or configured by using the standard Windows Control Panel.

Choose
File > Browse Parent System to view the parent system of the current file in the System Browser. This command is only available if the system has already been defined. See The System Browser for a complete description of the System Browser.

Note:
As described above, the behavior of each command can vary slightly according to which tool is active when the command is chosen. For instance, choosing
File > Print
in the Editor prints out the displayed file, whereas choosing
File > Print
in the Listener prompts you for a file to print.